wood repair

[hotlude91]

im the proud owner of a 1969 seacraft seafari ,which i got for christmas.it needs some work but the boat is well worth the fix.Iwas just wondering if there was any cheaper way of replacing the wood panels in the boat,its all rotted.can i use red oak or cedar,and stain it with a special water proof stain.I dont have a ton of money to spend on teak..any info would be help ..thanks

[Bryan A.]

Welome aboard, Nice Christmas present. I am not totally familiar with that model, which wood are you talking about? I assume the interior plywood. You could probably use anything you want. I used 5/4" cedar decking on a plywood skiff I built for my cousin. We covered it with Sikkens Cetol and It looks good after 5 years. Just a thought. I'm sure the Sefari guys will chime in with better info.
Also pics don't hurt.

[oldbluesplayer]

Welcome to CSC !! '73 Seafari 20' owner here - question I have for you, is which wood panels you are talking about - there are the cabin bulkheads on either side of the cabin door, and then there are the cockpit side panels - which may or may not be covered with foam / vinyl coaming bolsters.

The side panels could be done in plywood, probably 1/4" would be fine, and coated with a polyurethane varnish, or painted - that's probably the quickest, easiest solution - or get a boat shop upholstery supplier to redo the coaming bolsters on a plywood base.

The cockpit pulkheads are structural, and would need a thicker plywood, probably 3/4", again could be painted or polyurethane varnish - the originals on mine are covered with a wood grain melamine / formica material on the outside (cockpit side) and covered with the "cabin fur" on the inside.

And yes, the boat is definitely worthwhile - this is a 20 footer that can go where very few if any other 20's belong!!

I assume it looks something like this -


Good luck with her, and feel free to share some pix !

Bill

[hotlude91]

i have exactly what u picture there the only differencs is the side pieces for the rod holders are one piece wood that i took off..im redoing all of the wood actually everything wood in that picture will be replaced. the good thing is that it is all there so i can use it all as templates..my brother actually does upholstery for a living for boats and cars.hes already busy redoing the whole cabin.lol..i saw some sheets of nice red oak at home depot ,i was wondering if that could be a nice look if stained,and waterproofed..thanks for the responses im gonna need alot of help....lol

[hotlude91]

and i was wondering about the cockpit side panels ,how would i go about attaching the pieces after upholstering them ,they were screwed on ..would i have to glue them or somehow screw them in from the backside....

[nestorpr]

You may also want to consider PLASTEAK, a Starboard-like product but with a much nicer surface finish. Cost is very similar to marine plywood and would last a LOT longer. I saw it at last year's Miami Boat Show and was very impressed with it. Look it up at www.plasteak.com.

[hotlude91]

so what does everyone think,does anyone have any ideahs on where to start besides cleaning.lolol

[NoBones]

This is your basic restoration tool.
Just kidding.
Pull cord and go for-it!

It will be the most rewarding thing you have ever tackled.

Good Luck, Ken

[nestorpr]

From the waterline looks like that succer either had a V8 engine installed or several hundred pounds of waterlogged wood and foam! I'd say a complete disassembly would be step one, then tackle each part one by one until she's ready to go back together again. Is the front hatch missing or just removed?

[hotlude91]

dont let the dirt fool ya,its been sitting under a tree for 5 years its just dirt,the boat is actually in good condition ,just needs a good cleaning..the hatch is there and in great conditon too.its just flipped up..its gonna take a little time but itll be nice.lol